Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary School teacher Chayanee Brooks has been selected to join the national Space for Teachers Embedded Teacher Program, earning a chance to conduct student-designed experiments aboard a zero-gravity flight.

Brooks is one of only twelve educators across the country chosen for the program, which partners with NASA and research organizations to connect classrooms to real-world space science. Participants will fly aboard a specially modified aircraft that simulates microgravity conditions used for astronaut training and research.

Over the next year, Brooks will collaborate with mentors from the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Space Research to develop a flight-ready experiment with her students. The project will culminate in a parabolic flight in 2026 in either Texas or Florida, where Brooks will test the experiment in microgravity.

The Hawaiʻi Space Grant Consortium is supporting her participation, helping with travel and research expenses.

“This opportunity allows Hawaiʻi’s students to see that space science is within their reach,” said Space for Teachers CEO Laura Tomlin. “Ms. Brooks is helping bridge imagination, culture, and science in a powerful way.”

Brooks’ selection marks another milestone in the Consortium’s mission to expand STEM learning opportunities across the islands and inspire the next generation of space explorers.

Orginal Post: Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association — “Hawaiʻi Island educator selected for national space-flight teaching program”